Now, a study to gauge stress level of doctors, nurses

New Delhi: The AIIMS Trauma Centre has joined hands with IIT-Delhi to determine the stress level in doctors and nurses managing emergency cases.

The study is being done for best treatment outcome of patients admitted in the hospital, said Dr Deepak Agarwal, assistant professor of neurosurgery at the Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre.

"If a doctor or nurse who is attending patients at the emergency unit is stressed out, it will hamper the treatment. And whether a medical personnel is stressed out or not depends on the level of experience and training. Such a study is being conducted for the first time," Dr Agarwal said.

Funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Dr M C Mishra, chief of AIIMS Trauma Centre, and Dr K K Biswas too are involved in this. Agarwal said the project was approved in February.

"We are in the process of testing the sensors to measure the stress level in doctors and nurses. These are electronic sensors attached to the medical personnel`s body who is attending on an emergency patient," he said.

Regarding the role of IIT-Delhi, Agarwal said, "After we submit the coordinated analysis of our study, IIT-Delhi will determine the mathematical level of stress and then we can chalk out ways to improve things. We expect the results to come within an year or so. It will help in improving consistency of care in emergency."